The information contained in the cataloging record provides the many access points needed by the patron looking for information in the library. Traditionally, the library card catalog provided access by the author’s name, the title of an item, and the subject(s) covered in the item.

A catalog card is an individual entry in a library catalog containing bibliographic information, including author’s name, book title, and even approximate location. Using these books in a new system of public libraries included an inventory of all books.

card catalog: An organized index to library materials consisting of cabinets filled with cards that describe and locate materials in the library. A typical card catalog would list items by author, title, and subject or might combine all three into one alphabetically arranged system.

Look at the numbers and letters in the top left-hand corner of the card to locate the book or reference material in the library. Go to the nonfiction section if the record starts with numbers, such as 370.1, for a book on education in the social sciences section.

the author’s name. a summary of the book’s contents. the call number.

OPAC (online public access catalog): A library’s computerized catalog. OPACs are based on the previously used card catalogs and include all of the information that was available on the cards and, in many cases, additional information, such as book tables of contents.

Catalog “A database (either online or on paper cards) listing and describing the books, journals, government documents, audiovisual and other materials held by a library. Various search terms allow you to look for items in the catalog.”

A database of library materials An online library catalog is an electronic bibliographic database that describes the books, videotapes, periodicals, etc. carried by a particular library.

In contrast to library catalogue entries, a large proportion of the bibliographic records in bibliographic databases describe articles, conference papers, etc., rather than complete monographs, and they generally contain very rich subject descriptions in the form of keywords, subject classification terms, or abstracts.

OPACs typically include items other than books, such as DVDs, microfilm, audio or talking books, and periodical titles (magazines, journals). Examples of freely accessible online library catalogs include the Library of Congress Online Catalog (http://catalog.loc.gov/) and the British Library OPAC (http://www.bl.uk/).

Every library typically has three different types of online databases. Some of the various articles that one may find in such an article database are full text articles while some searches may abstracts of articles. Other times, a search may simply yield a citation instead of a full text article or an article abstract.

How to Write a Library Catalog Card

1. Call Numbers. The library call number refers to an item’s location within the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) or the Library of Congress Classification (LCC).
2. Titles and Authors.
3. Publication Information and Subjects.
4. Today’s Library Catalogs.

The four types of library catalogues are listed below.

• Card catalogue.
• Book catalogue.
• COM catalogue.
• On-line Public Access Catalogue (OPAC)

Book catalogue or book form: A catalogue produced in book form, also used as a synonym for Printed catalogue.

The types of physical form of a library catalogue are : book catalogues, card catalogues, microform catalogue and online catalogue. Any kind of these types has advantages and disadvantages.